Cornelia Taylor

Head of Mission

Cornelia Taylor is the Head of Mission of EUAM Ukraine, bringing more than 20 years of international leadership experience in security, peace operations, and rule-of-law reform. She has held executive leadership positions in complex and high-risk environments across Europe, Africa, and Asia, leading multinational teams and supporting governments in strengthening civilian security institutions and the rule of law.

Prior to joining EUAM Ukraine, she served as Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and as Acting Head of Mission from September 2024 to May 2025, leading a field operation of nearly 500 international and local staff.

Her career includes senior leadership positions within EU Common Security and Defence Policy missions, the United Nations, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. She has served as Head of Rule of Law Reform with EUPOL Afghanistan and as a senior adviser in UN peace operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kosovo, working at the intersection of policing, justice, accountability, and institutional reform.

Throughout her career, Ms. Taylor has worked extensively on conflict prevention, post-conflict recovery, and security sector reform. She has led civilian–military teams in active conflict environments, directed mission transformations, and provided strategic leadership in support of civilian protection, accountability, war crimes investigations, and responses to conflict-related sexual violence.

A qualified lawyer admitted in England and Wales, Ms. Taylor holds a Master's degree from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She is fluent in English, German, French, and Spanish.

Mia Rahunen

Deputy Head of Mission

Mia Rahunen joined EUAM Ukraine in 2025 as Deputy Head of Mission. Mia brings over two decades of experience in international crisis management, conflict prevention, and sustainable development, with a strong track record in strategic planning, leadership, and cross-sectoral coordination within the framework of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy.

Before joining EUAM Ukraine, Ms Rahunen worked with the CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation from 2023 to 2024, focusing on conflict prevention through dialogue and mediation in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.

Ms Rahunen has previous experience from civilian crisis management missions, responsibilities ranging from overseeing field operations to senior management positions in the headquarters. From 2020 to 2023 she served at the EUCAP Sahel Mali mission – first as Head of Planning, Evaluation and Reporting, and subsequently as Chief of Staff. Between 2014 and 2017 she held several management positions with the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia, including Deputy Head of Field Office.

Ms Rahunen’s experience also includes international policy and advocacy. She worked with WWF Finland (2018–2020), focusing on national and international climate policies, and held senior advisory positions at the Nordic Council of Ministers (2007–2014), where she for example led regional governmental cooperation on sustainableтdevelopment.

She holds a master’s degree in communication and media studies from the University of Turku, including studies in EU affairs and social and political sciences.

Lynn Sheehan

Head of Operations

Lynn Sheehan practised as a solicitor in her native Ireland until 2004 specialising in EU law, competition law and international trade. During this time she lectured at the Law School of the Law Society of Ireland (the professional training body for solicitors in Ireland) and was both an internal and external examiner in EU law.  Lynn has an MA in European Studies from the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona and an LLM in European Law from the College of Europe in Bruges.  She was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in Ireland in 1999.

Since commencing her overseas career Lynn has worked in the Balkans, Myanmar, Palestine, Niger and Ukraine.  In 2006 Lynn was appointed by the High Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as an international member of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH which, inter alia, had the task of overseeing the reform of the justice sector in BiH post the war of 1992-1995.  From 2008-2012 she served as Head of the Legal Unit of the International Civilian Office/EUSR in Kosovo which was tasked with supervising the independence of Kosovo after its declaration of independence in February 2008.  Lynn commenced her work in Common Security and Defence Policy missions in 2012 and has served as Head of the Rule of Law Section of EUPOL COPPS in Palestine and Chief of Staff at EUCAP Sahel Niger.  She worked as Deputy Head of Operations at EUAM Ukraine from 2016-2020 and in October 2022 she returned to EUAM as Head of Operations. 

Jean-Michel Blaudez

Chief of Staff

Born in Germany, Jean-Michel Blaudez is a commissioned officer of the French National Gendarmerie. During his 32-year career, he constantly alternated between law enforcement and international experience. As a police officer he was successively leader of a riot control / SWAT unit, trainer, head of a police division, head of a police department and deputy director of a police academy. His international experience started with a deployment within the UN-IPTF mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1997. From 2004 to 2008, he was head of unit for EU cooperation within the Gendarmerie and a member of the French delegation to the Law Enforcement Working Group of the EU Council. From 2011 to 2015, he had an assignment to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the field of Security Sector Reform (SSR). During this period, amongst others, he implemented the European Union Police Services Training programme (EUPST) in African countries. From 2021 he was involved in EU external Border Management within the context of the migration crisis in the English Channel. In addition, he developed an European police training model for frontline agents under the Erasmus+ programme. From March 2022 he participated in the design of French forensic missions deployed to alleged war crimes investigations in Ukraine. He is graduated in law and criminal sciences and holds a Master in international relations.